This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Alex Aslam
The Microservices Trap
A year ago, our team made a bold decision: "Let’s break our Node.js monolith into microservices!"
Fast-forward six months, and we were drowning in:
- 50+ API endpoints calling each other unpredictably
- Debugging nightmares ("Which service failed?")
- A 10x increase in AWS costs
We learned the hard way that microservices aren’t always the answer. Here’s when they shine—and when they backfire.
1. When Microservices Help
✅ Scenario 1: Scaling Specific Features
Problem: Our /recommendations API needed 10x more CPU than the rest of the app.
Solution: Isolated it into its own service, scaled independently.
// Before: Part of monolith
app.get('/recommendations', heavyMLProcessing);
// After: Dedicated microservice
fastify.get('/', heavyMLProcessing); // Scaled to 20 pods
Result: 80% cheaper than scaling the entire monolith.
✅ Scenario 2: Polyglot Tech Stacks
Problem: Real-time analytics needed Go’s performance.
Solution: Built a Go service for analytics, kept the rest in Node.js.
✅ Scenario 3: Team Autonomy
Problem: 10+ devs blocking each other on merges.
Solution: Split ownership by domain (payments, auth, etc.).
2. When Microservices Hurt
❌ Scenario 1: Over-Engineering
Mistake: Splitting a 5K LOC monolith into 10 services.
Pain:
- Network latency between services
- Distributed tracing became essential
- Kubernetes complexity exploded
Lesson: Don’t microservice just because.
❌ Scenario 2: Poor Boundaries
Mistake: Letting services call each other directly.
// 😱 Tight coupling
await fetch('http://payments/api/charge');
Fix: Use an event bus (Kafka, NATS) for async communication.
❌ Scenario 3: Observability Debt
Mistake: No centralized logging/metrics.
Pain: Debugging required checking 5 different dashboards.
Fix: Adopted OpenTelemetry + Grafana.
3. The Hybrid Approach: Modular Monoliths
For many apps, modular monoliths offer the best balance:
- Single codebase, but clean separation of domains
- Optional split later (if needed)
src/
├── modules/
│ ├── payments/ (Could become a microservice)
│ ├── auth/ (Could become a microservice)
│ └── orders/ (Could become a microservice)
└── server.js (Shared entry point)
When to choose this:
✔ Team size < 10
✔ Traffic < 10K RPS
✔ You might need microservices later
Key Takeaways
🔹 Do use microservices for:
- Independent scaling
- Polyglot stacks
- Team autonomy
🔹 Avoid them for:
- Small teams/apps
- Tightly coupled features
- Without observability tools
🔹 Consider modular monoliths as a middle ground.
Have you been burned by microservices? Share your story!
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Alex Aslam
Alex Aslam | Sciencx (2025-07-06T22:21:45+00:00) Microservices in Node.js: When They Help (and When They Hurt). Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/07/06/microservices-in-node-js-when-they-help-and-when-they-hurt/
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